I am not nice, but I am honest and that is more important.

The Graveyard of Stupid Political Bullshit

Given the fact that one of the presidential candidates rates darker than taupe on a paint chart, race is an issue in this election.

Yes. It is. I don’t care if you like to hear it. It’s true.

That truth is made up of a lot of varying issues and it would take me much too long to pick over each and every one of them.

I’m just going to touch on a few.

Why do I get to decide that something is racist?

The N-word and why you can’t use it.

Double Standards: what they mean and what they don’t.

Strap in.

Why do I get to decide that something is racist?

I get to decide when something is racist because as part of the group that is directly negatively affected by racism I recognize it more readily. Further, as the person in the institutional position of privilege and power whose point of view is unavoidably informed by those two P’s, when a person in a group which does not enjoy those two P’s speaks about them, you shut the hell up and listen. You might learn something.

Now please understand that I’m not saying that every accusation of racism is valid. No one can deny that People of Color can and do, on occasion reach for that tool unfairly. But when your toolbox is as small as ours can be, reaching for the wrong tool or reaching for a tool prematurely, is understandable. Understandable, but not acceptable. Learn better tool management, people.

However, even in the face of misapplied accusations of racism and the reality that not all people of color agree on what constitutes a racist statement or action, PoC are more equipped to recognize than others.

The N-Word.

I hate that term. I really do. I’m not five. Don’t spell things at me. So I just say and write nigger.
Not like I use the word really, ever unless I’m talking about it in this context.

Context, as always, is everything.

Do you know in which context the word nigger is acceptable? When black person is using it.
White people can still use it. They just have to be prepared for the consequences which can include, but are not limited to, emotional, financial and physical, Deal with it.

Double Standards: what they mean and what they don’t.

Again, this is about context.

PoC are allowed to use the word nigger with generally little to no consequence and white people aren’t. Why? For the same reason that I can walk up to my girlfriend, call her sweet heart, put my arm around her, and kiss her on the cheek and you can’t. You don’t know her like that. You’re not part of our relationship and as a result there are certain things I can do that would get you a well deserved punch in the mouth.
“OMG it’s SO unfair! Why is their no White History Month/White Entertainment Channel/Men’s History Month? Why aren’t feminists/equality bloggers and activists more concerned about misandry/”reverse racism”/homosexual harassment? If you get something I get the same thing! Anything else is just discrimination on your part.”

These points are like zombies. No matter how many times you shoot them in the face, they keep popping back up.

I’m going to answer this one last time and then I’m done. OK, probably not. They’ll come up again, because that’s what zombies do.

So, in order:

Because giving voice to those who are oppressed is not the same as failing to give voice to the group that has the two P’s in their toolbox.

Because those things are so rare as to be statistically insignificant and for the most part, reports of those things turn out to be bullshit.

Your ability to say something that is hurtful and often a precursor to violence when it comes from you is different than my ability to say something that is an in-group identifier and neither hurtful or a precursor to violence coming from me. Because your hyper focus on this word reveals a deep flaw in your character.

Here’s the thing. We should bury these bullshit political points. We won’t but we should. And since we won’t I’ll stay set up here, on the edge of The Graveyard of Political Bullshit (situated at the foot of scenic Bullshit Mountain) and keep shooting them down.